Category: Literature 1

There is a striking photo, taken in 2015, of a deactivated nuclear missile at an air and space museum in Tucson, Arizona. Written in dust on this missile are the words, “Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds”. These words, from the Sanskrit scriptural text the Bhagavad Gita, are famously attributed to J… Continue reading ‘Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds’ – the Bhagavad Gita explained

“Italy had its renaissance, Germany its reformation, France had Voltaire”, the historian Will Durant once commented. Born François-Marie Arouet, Voltaire (1694-1778) was known in his lifetime as the “patriarch” of the French enlightenment. A man of extraordinary energy and abilities, he produced some 100 volumes of poetry, fiction, theatre, biblical and literary criticism, history and… Continue reading Voltaire’s Candide — a darkly satirical tale of human folly in times of crisis

Ransom Riggs’ first new series since the million-selling “Miss Peregrine” books will launch this summer. “Sunderworld, Vol. 1 The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry” begins the adventures of a Los Angeles teen who, after his mother’s death, has some surreal encounters in his everyday life. Dutton Books for Young Readers, a Penguin Random House imprint, will publish “Sunderworld” on… Continue reading ‘Miss Peregrine’ author Ransom Riggs to launch new fantasy series, ‘Sunderworld’

​Diaries, Erasing False Lines and Annie Ernaux The ability to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ writing is a skill gradually acquired and perfected by the most avid readers. Some may attribute it to a simple game of recognition, where the skill of a writer is compared to the skill of their literary forefathers. If it… Continue reading Authenticity: a writer’s necessity

“I would be miserable cranking out a book every three or four years,” Donna Tartt mentioned offhandedly to The Telegraph, when asked about the ten years between the releases of her three books shortly after the release of The Goldfinch in 2013. With clockwork timing, May 2023 saw fans adamant that Tartt had a release… Continue reading The cult of irony: Donna Tartt’s 2023 release that didn’t exist

As of June 2023, the Forward Poetry Prizes will award the first literary prize for spoken word poets,with a best spoken poem category being awarded alongside the best written poem category. But, why has it taken this long for spoken word poetry to gain this recognition and why now?  Currently, the standard for poetry at… Continue reading Why we stopped listening to spoken poetry – and then tuned back in